


A Stydia Christmas

by cheeseeteevee



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Love, Stydia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-20
Updated: 2014-08-20
Packaged: 2018-02-14 00:41:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2171421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheeseeteevee/pseuds/cheeseeteevee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lydia and Stiles get ready for Christmas and finally face their feelings for each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Stydia Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is my first fic, my first complete writing as well so it might be rough still. I just have so many stydia feels and Jeff Davis is torturing me with how slow the stydia relationship is going so I decided to write a fic where stydia finally admit they're in love. It was originally supposed to be a short couple of pages about a Christmas that Stiles and Lydia spend together... But then 16 pages later and this is what happened. Some parts get slightly OOC as the work progresses and this is all pretty cheesy so forgive me! Leave comments!

It was Saturday night and Stiles found himself yet again mulling over events of the past year. Sitting on the couch, marathoning Star Wars for the umpteenth time with his dad, Stiles mind was wandering. To the chaos with the nogitsune, the dead pool, the Benefactor. But it wasn’t the latest in supernatural drama that was confusing him, because all that was finally over (though for how long, he was not sure). It was the recent developments with Malia that left him stumped. The break-up wasn’t particularly messy or dramatic, in fact, it was quite easy. And that’s what confused him. He felt oddly at ease. Which really did not make sense. Was he just foregoing the last 8 months? Did it mean nothing?

His relationship with Malia had been odd, to say the least. Born out of emotional vulnerability, Stiles had stuck by her, helping her acclimate to human life. Until Malia bluntly told him, “I’m tired of you” and walked out of his life. He was stunned but a part of him knew that they weren’t meant to be. Malia needed to grow on her own, without Stiles babying her all the time. He had truly cared for her, but it was hard to imagine a future with her and he was never certain where their relationship was going. Not to mention that it was getting increasingly difficult for Stiles to essentially turn an animal into a human. And because of that, their break-up was nothing ugly and they were both ready to move on.

Eventually, his dad woke him from his reverie, “Hey son, I’m gonna head to bed okay, busy day tomorrow!”

“Yeah dad, good night,” he answered.

Without his mom around anymore, Stiles and his dad had no family in Beacon Hills. Which is why, every year for Christmas, the sheriff and his son would buy gifts to donate to various causes: shelters, orphans, foster children. Anyone who like them, were left separate from their loved ones.

***

Lydia, being the very prepared young lady that she was, had bought her Christmas gifts weeks before. She observed the stack sitting on her desk, thinking back on the past few weeks. It was Beacon Hills so of course it was not uneventful. There was the usual dose of running for her life and ear-splitting screams. Sometimes, she amazed herself by how she was even able to do normal things like homework and buy gifts. But if anything, it was a good distraction. She had to normal things otherwise she would be the next Meredith, locked up in Eichen, ready to end her life. She shuddered at the thought. It still scared her, Meredith’s tragic end. Luckily, she had a certain flailing boy, with moles freckling his cheeks and deep brown eyes that melted her insides. A boy who would never let anything happen to her, even if, up until recently, he was busy hovering over the beautiful blonde coyote. Lydia shook the thought away, she was enjoying her boy drama-free life. It was good for her. But then again… No. She would not go there, she scolded herself as her hands toyed with the perfectly wrapped gift in her hands. Stiles needed his space, she would not take advantage of his emotional fragility, not right now.

She sat the gift down on her nightstand. It was the first gift she had ever bought for Stiles and given the circumstances, she was not even sure she would give it to him. They hadn’t truly talked since him and Malia had gotten together (though now that was over, she was hoping to see him more often) and wasn’t sure where his feelings lied anymore. Lydia sighed. She was not the type to pine after boys. Jackson, Aiden, all it took was a flash of her pearly white teeth, a sparkle in her eyes and a wave of her strawberry locks to win them over. But with Stiles, it was different. She couldn’t understand why. She wasn’t tempted to jump his bones like with all the other boys she had dated but she found herself thinking about him more and more, dreaming about him, replaying scenes in her mind of instances they had been together. It sometimes made her wonder if that was what Allison meant, that time in the car when she tried to explain to Lydia what loving Scott felt like. But Lydia was not in love. She couldn’t be.

***

The next morning, Stiles woke up from a restless sleep. All he could think about was what he would get Lydia for Christmas this year. He had no idea why it mattered to much so him. Lydia was just a friend. That’s all. He never had trouble finding gifts for Scott or his dad or even Allison, when she was still around. But with Lydia, it was different. It had to perfect.

Him and his Dad wandered around the various parts of the mall, visiting toy stores and bookstores, department stores and shoe stores, collecting gifts for the lonely ones this year. They couldn’t afford much, what with the Eichen and MRI bills still unpaid but when Claudia had passed and all of Beacon Hills had shown up at their home, feeding them, clothing them, for months on end, they vowed to do what they could to make sure no one would go uncared for.

After they had filled the sheriff’s trunk with gifts, Stiles told his dad he would be staying behind, that he needed to find a gift for Lydia.

“Okay son, I’ll see you at home,” he answered, with a slight smirk. He was secretly rooting for him and Lydia. They made a great pair and Lydia was good for his son, she had helped him through some dark times and her excellent school record made for a wonderful influence on Stiles.

“You can wipe off that grin dad," he said, "Lydia is just a friend,” _A breathtaking beauty of green eyes, strawberry blond hair, full lips, soft skin, unparalleled intelligence_ , he thought to himself. Whoa. He was seriously in way over his head. Lydia was in a league so far above him, he could only observe from a distance. They were still good friends and she had stayed by his side, even after he was pretty much responsible for the death of her best friend. He had no idea how she did. Her heart was so big and she was so caring, he wondered how it had even took him so long to discover that. Somehow, she managed to hide all that underneath her perfectly made up face and high heels. Often, he felt like he was the only one who truly knew the wonderful person who hid beneath it all. So then why was finding her a gift so difficult?

After daydreaming for a good 10 minutes, Stiles turned away from his dad’s car and made it back to the mall. He didn’t even know where to begin. He walked through women’s stores, jewelry shops, bookstores. He eventually called it a day and went back home. He would have to deal with this tomorrow.

***  
Once again, Lydia’s parents were nowhere to be seen when she made her way down to the kitchen. No surprise there, they were always so busy. She sighed. She hoped this wouldn’t be yet another holiday spent alone.

She made her way to the stove and started cooking up some scrambled eggs. Once they were cooked, she turned on the television to some mindless TV show and let her mind wander. She wondered what had happened to her parents over the years. When she was younger, they would go off on family vacations, they would never miss a dinner together. She felt loved. Then when Lydia entered high school, it was as if they had decided that she no longer needed them. It got to a point where they didn’t even know Lydia got good grades in school. It was as if they no longer cared. It was painful but Lydia had gotten used to life on her own. Her father was always off on business trips, she barely saw him. Her mom worked multiple jobs and between her substituting job at the school and running her small business, she was never home. Even on Christmas, they managed to be away. She prayed it wouldn’t happened again this year.

Lydia was tired of being alone, so without even thinking, she texted Stiles.

 _What are you up to today?_ It was the middle of winter break, he couldn’t be up to much, right? But she instantly regretted it, now she was going to look desperate. She never asked people to hang out, people always came to her. God, why was everything so nerve-wracking with Stiles?

**_Nothing much, you?_ **

Lydia decided to be bold, they were just friends and friends could hang out without any awkwardness.

_Same, wanna come over?_

_**Sure, be there in 20!** _

She smiled. Then she jumped up, realizing she only had 20 minutes to do her make-up and pick out an outfit. She ran up to her walk-in closet. She had no idea what to wear. For the first time in her nearly 18 years of existence, she couldn’t pick out an outfit. What does one wear when inviting a completely platonic friend who she may be developing a mild attraction for? She sifted through the skirts and dresses, tank tops and jeans. Eventually, she decided on a cute flowered dress, a revealing enough to be teasing but not completely inappropriate. She ditched the sweater since they’d probably be hanging out inside anyways. She picked out a pair of wedged boots and let her hair fall freely. Luckily, she had done her eye make-up when she woke up so just had to put on some lipstick.

She started to feel ridiculous, why was she going through all this effort for someone who’s supposedly just a friend? Stiles was the only one who could see through her disguise. Regardless of what she was wearing, she knew he would see the real her. _Still, it wouldn’t be so terrible to look nice for him_ , she though with a smile.

Right on queue, she heard the doorbell ring and found a beaming Stiles at the door.

  
***

  
When Lydia answered the door, Stiles was awestruck. His face turned beat red and he tried hard to form a coherent sentence. Eventually, he managed a stuttering “Lydia, um hi, wow”. She looked beautiful in a tiny flowered dress. Not including the time he had come to visit her after the whole Peter debacle, he had never seen her in something so revealing. She usually wore sweaters to complement her dresses but here, he couldn’t help but stare. “You look beautiful,” he blurted out. He would have regretted it if Lydia hadn’t turned a matching red. “Thanks, Stiles,” she answered with a giggle, “Come on in”  
She walked him to the couch, where they sat down.

  
Eventually, Stiles broke the silence, “So… What do you want to do?” It was such an odd question. Though him and Lydia had gotten close, the only time they really got to spend time together was when they were playing detective or running for their lives.

  
“I don’t even know, what do we ever do besides dig into the depths of Google researching and running after after supernatural creatures?”

  
“True, I guess we could just watch a movie?” Stiles suggested. He figured it would be the best way to not be distracted by Lydia’s overwhelming beauty. He had no idea why he was still so vulnerable when it came to Lydia. Hadn’t he just gotten out of a relationship? Everything was just so complicated these days, he decided he should just take advantage of the semi-normal day they would have ahead of them.

  
“Sounds good, what do you want to see?” she questioned.

  
“Well, I pretty much only watch Star Wars and even then, our DVDs are so scratched I can barely get through them without ten thousand skips."

***

Lydia smiled, maybe she would give him his birthday gift after all.

“How does a horror movie sound?” she asked, with a sly smile. There might be some ulterior motive behind this choice…

“Um, okay, interesting choice,” he answered.

Settled on the couch, they began the movie. It struck Lydia how mundane a thing it was to simply sit on the couch with her best friend, watching a movie. She hadn’t done anything like it since Allison passed away. She was glad to have Stiles by her side. Any day she spent alone was a day she spent thinking of Allison and the short time they had together. She missed her a lot.

As the movie went on, they found themselves scooting closer and closer together. Eventually, their knees touched and Lydia felt a jolt of electricity run through her. She looked at him sideways. In all their years of knowing each other, there were certain things she had only just recently noticed, like the brown specks the side of his face and neck, his perfectly defined jawline, his brown hair that looked so soft she wanted to just run her hands through it, the way his eyes sparkled when he got excited about something…

God, she was just so lucky to have him. She wished she had noticed him earlier, taken the time to see past the hyperactivity and the obsessive crushing. Because if she had learned anything from Allison’s death, it was that life is short and there is no use in wasting time. So she moved her hand from her lap to his, where it was on the couch and intertwined her fingers in his. It was a gesture so simple and that they had gotten to do so much over the last year but in such a normal setting, it felted packed with meaning. She knew that even if they were never together as a couple, they would always be friends. And that meant more than anything.

They eventually got to the climax of the movie, and Lydia was caught off guard when arms starting crawling out of the ceiling and a bloody child jumped out from a dark corner. She squeezed Stiles’ hand in fear. He let go for a moment but only to wrap his arm around her shoulders as she leaned into his chest. She could feel his heart jump and wondered if he could feel hers too.

***

Stiles was surprised by how… intimate they were being. He fought to convince himself there was nothing romantic happening, just two friends hanging out.

When the movie was over, he had found that Lydia had fallen asleep in his arms. He kept her there, not wanting to wake her. God knows they needed as much sleep as they could get in this town. He found himself stroking her hair, the strawberry blonde locks he had fallen in love with so long ago. It was funny to think that when he first started crushing at her, in 3rd grade, he didn’t really know her. He was just breath taken by her sparkling eyes and bright ribbons tied perfectly in her soft hair. Now, he knew she was so much more: she was fierce but kind, she was smarter than anyone he had ever known, she was loyal, she was beautiful.

As his mind drifted off, he too found himself nodding off, one hand wrapped in hers the other lying on the side of her body.

***

Lydia woke up suddenly. The movie was finished and she was still lying in Stiles’ arms. Her start woke up him up.

“Did we both fall asleep?” he asked groggily.

She giggled, “That must not have been much of a movie. That nap felt good. Thanks, Stiles”

“For what?”

For holding me, caring for me, being my hero, she thought, “Just for keeping me company. My parents, I barely see them anymore.”

“Anytime Lydia. You know you can call me anytime, right? Even if it’s 4am and you just can’t sleep, I’m here for you.” He said seriously.

“I- Thank you so much, I’m so lucky to have you Stiles.”

“Are you kidding me? I’m the dork here sitting with this perfection of a person!”

“I’m serious Stiles! I’ve ignored you for so many years, I was terrible to you and you were always there by my side, you never left me. You’ve just broken up with Malia, yet here you are, with me.”

“We’re friends Lydia, that’s what we do, okay? Never question that I will always, always be here for you. No matter what.”

To Lydia, it almost sounded like a declaration of love.

***

After pretty much confessing to Lydia that he was still in love with her, Stiles decided they should eat.

“Are you hungry, Lydia?”

“Yeah, I’m actually kind of starved. We don’t really have much in the house though, do you wanna go out?” She kicked herself inside for her poor choice of words. “I mean we could go and get some food or something,” she caught herself.

“That sounds good. But it is pouring outside so I don’t know if you wanna brave the cold or just order in?”

They didn’t make it halfway down the driveway before seeking refuge inside. “Yeah, let’s just order a pizza,” she said with a laugh.

She could simply not get over how normal their day was going. She was determined to make the most of it. Knowing Beacon Hills and knowing their lives, it would not be long before disaster struck.

When the pizza arrived, Lydia led him to her room. They sat on the floor, eating and chatting. It felt good. To be spending such a carefree afternoon. Of all the unbelievable things that had happened in the last few months, this was the most surreal.

“It’s getting cold in here.” Lydia said after a while.

“Here! Take my sweater,” he answered almost instantly.

“Stiles, this is my room, I have clothes in here you know."

“Right. Well. Um. If you need it, it’s here.”

Not entirely sure why, Lydia took it and wrapped herself in it. She breathed in his scent. It was earthy with a lingering scent of cologne. He never wore cologne. Had he put it on specifically for her? She wondered.

Eventually, she heard her mom come home.

“I’m home, Lydia!” she called.

“Kay, mom. I’m upstairs!” she answered.

***

She popped in the door and was surprised to see Stiles there. She was used to Lydia bringing boys over but she had never seen Stiles around. She knew from the couple classes she had subbed that Stiles was a smart kid but he was so different from the boys Lydia had dated. Interesting. She was definitely rooting for this one, he was a good kid and he would be a positive influence for Lydia. Finally. She had never liked that Jackson boy. Or Aiden. They were often rude and not good for Lydia.

“I’ll leave you two to it, let me know if you need anything!” she told them.

“Thanks, it was good to see you Ms. Martin!”

***

They talked almost all afternoon and night. Before he knew it, it was 1am and Lydia definitely looked like she was dozing off.

“Hey Lydia, it’s late. I should head home or my dad will worry.” He didn’t want to leave but Lydia needed her sleep and his dad would kill him if staying any minute longer. “I’ll see you around, okay? Thanks for a great day.”

“It was fun, I had a good time. I would’ve been eating ice cream, binge-watching chick flicks all day if it weren’t for you.”

Stiles turned to the door and made his way out.

“Wait, Stiles! Your sweater!"

He hesitated a minute, “Keep it, it looks good on you.” He said with a warm smile.

“Stiles, it’s pouring out there, you’ll need it!”

“It’s fine, it’s a 5 second walk to the car. I’m not gonna die.”

“Stiles!”

“I’m leaving now before you can say another word.” He said as he bolted down the stairs.

She chased him to the door. “You’re ridiculous. Let me at least walk you to your car."

“That I can agree to,” he said.

When they made it to his car, Lydia was still not ready for him to leave, but she knew she’d have to let him go. Maybe he wasn’t ready either because he took her in his arms and wrapped her in a warm embrace. She never wanted to let go. He never wanted to let go.

Stiles finally let go when he realized Lydia was completely soaked from the rain.

“Bye Stiles, I’ll see you around,” she said, almost sadly. “Be safe.”

He waited for her to be safely back inside before turning out and heading home. What a strange day, he thought. Never in a million years would he have imagined himself spending an entire day with Lydia Martin. The thought of her in his sweater, in his arms, warmed him inside.

***

Lydia walked back inside to find her mom staring out the window.

“Mom!” She screamed. “You were totally spying!”

Her mom jumped. “Woops, I was hoping you wouldn’t notice. Stiles seems like a good guy. This might be the first boyfriend I approve.”

“Stiles is not boyfriend. We’re just friends!”

“Uh-huh,” she said, raising her eyebrows. “That is not what it looked like,” she added under her breath.

“It’s true! I was bored because you and dad have been gone all day so I invited him over, that’s all.”

“Okay, whatever you say,” her mom answered with a grin.

“You’re annoying, I’m going to bed, good night,” she huffed.

She didn’t go straight to bed though. She tossed Stiles’ sweater in the dryer and waited. Once it was dry, she peeled off her soaked clothes, showered and went to bed, her body wrapped in his sweater. Thankfully, his scent still lingered and she drifted into one of the deepest sleeps she had had in months.

***

Stiles woke up after a long blissful sleep and decided to brainstorm gifts for Lydia. He thought of the day he had just spent with her, mulling over possible ideas. After a few hours in his room and a few more at the mall, he decided on something. He could only hope she would like it.

***

A week later and Christmas Eve was finally here. As per tradition, Scott and his mom spent it with Stiles and his dad. They switched off houses each year and this year, they were celebrating at Stiles’ place. Stiles could cook some things, but nothing Christmas worthy so Melissa always ended up doing the cooking. She insisted that she loved it, though Stiles was pretty sure she did it out of guilt that there was no longer a mother around the house. Regardless, they always had a good time, even if all four of them felt the loneliness of Claudia’s departure.

“Dude what is with you?” Scott said, as they were hanging out in Stiles’ room.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been acting weird all week. Not to mention I could smell the perfume on you the other day. Are you and Malia back together?”

“No, I hung out with Lydia last weekend, that’s probably what the scent was.”

“Dude! Nice, man.”

“What do you mean nice, we were just hanging out!”

“Well something must have happened if her perfume could get on you.”

“I mean she just fell asleep on me when we were watching a movie. And I hugged her on the way out?”

“Wow. What were you doing there in the first place?

“I don’t know, she was home alone and she invited me over.”

“She had the home alone and she invited you over. Dude, she is so into you”

“You’re delusional. It was nothing, we’re just friends.”

“Right, like I haven’t noticed that you guys barely go 5 seconds without being together”

“Do you really think that? That she could be into me? Lydia?

“Come on! You have to be blind not to see it!”

Stiles grinned. Maybe he would get his happily ever after.

***

Stiles heard a knock at the door. Who was out with weather like this? The rain had been pouring incessantly for the past 3 hours.

It was Lydia. She was completely soaked, as if she had been on a long walk in the rain.

“Lydia! Oh my god, come in, you’re completely soaked!” he exclaimed.

“Sorry… I just- Well, you said I was welcome anytime, right?” She let out.

“Of course! What’s going on?” Now he was getting worried.

“Nothing, I just wanted to stop by and say Merry Christmas. I promise nothing’s wrong. I wanted to bring you your gift.”

“Did you walk here?” he asked incredulously. That she had come all this way and that she thought of him as good enough a friend that she would bring a gift surprised him.

“Um, maybe?” she hesitated.

“You’re insane Lydia, get in here,” he laughed.

He hesitated a minute before adding, “Let me get you some dry clothes, you’re gonna get sick if you stay in that." She was wearing a completely soaked through red holiday dress and he had to fight to keep his away. He swallowed, “Come on up.”

As they walked past the living room, Scott grinned and mouthed “Told you.”  
Stiles rolled his eyes.

From the living room, Melissa called out, “Lydia! You are more than welcome to stay with us for dinner, if you want.” With a sideways glance at the sheriff, she added “I think I can call the shots, considering I cooked up the whole meal.”

“Of course, Lydia, you know you’re welcome here whenever you want,” the Sheriff added.

“Thanks, my parents are out of town on emergency business so I’m glad I have you guys to spend the holiday with.”

***

Lydia wasn’t exactly sure what possessed her to leave the house in the rain and make the half hour trek to Stiles’ house. Her car still freaked her out a bit, what with the showing up at random dead bodies when she drove. She was surprised she even ever got to Stiles’ house. Something inside of her just really wanted to see him.

“I’m glad you came over Lydia, I have something for you too.”

“Stiles, you shouldn’t have!”

“Well you shouldn’t have either, Lydia!”

“Well we’re either gonna argue about this or exchange gifts and considering we’ve both already bought our gifts, I suggest we exchange them.”

“Okay, Lydia.” He responded with a laugh. He would never get over how feisty she’d get over the smallest things. “But you’re still standing there in soaked clothes so let me get you something dry first.”

He started rummaging through his drawers until he took out a gray pocket tee shirt and a pair of black drawstring sweatpants. She recognized that shirt. It was the same one he wore when they had unsuccessfully went searching for Barrow. That was the day she realized Stiles would never leave her. She remembered his gentle touch when he unwrapped the red string from her fingers. Red string, tied at the finger. It symbolized fate.

“Sorry I don’t have anything better, I don’t really have much of a fashion sense. Let alone women’s clothing.”

“Oh really? I thought you kept spare clothes for all the ladies you bring up here!” She said, hoping that he didn’t actually bring that many girls up here.

Stiles turned beet red. “I-I never let anyone up here, not even Malia when we were dating.”

“I’m only kidding, Stiles,” she said, ignoring the fanfare that was going off in her chest. “Now turn around, I need to change.”

“Darn it,” he added, smiling.

***

Stiles was really living the life. The girl of his dreams was standing right there, in his room, half naked by now, putting on his clothes. Whoa.

When she finished changing, he turned around and stared. Even in his clothes, she looked gorgeous. Her hair was soaked but still radiant. His shirt and sweats hid her curves but somehow, she looked so at home, so perfect.

“Quit staring, I know I’m a mess,” she said, picking up her soaked dress.

“No, you’re not. You look great, as usual.”

***

Lydia turned pink. If this boy was going to keep making her blush like this, she was seriously gonna have to officially change her name to Tomato. Why did his compliments always make her insides melt? Why did her heart start racing at 20 miles a minute?

“Well anyway, here’s your gift,” she said, as she pulled out the gift box from under her bundled up jacket. She was nervous. He hoped he would like it.

As he opened it, she explained, “The watch was my Dad’s. He said to give it to the first boy I knew would never leave me. I almost gave it to Jackson but after the whole kanima thing, I wasn’t so sure about that. I’m sure now. I know we’re just friends but I also know that you’d never leave me. So there you go.”

“Lydia… Wow. I don’t know what to say. Thank you. I love it.” It was a simple silver watch but as he put it around his wrist, she knew it was meant to be there.

***

Stiles had no idea how he had become the one Lydia chose. He had had a crush on her since forever and his newly updated 15 year plan had been in motion for a while but he would have never guessed that he would be this close to her, that he would ever be this important to her.

He opened up the rest of the gift. Underneath it was a collector’s edition boxed set of all the Star Wars films.

“I got that for you weeks ago and when you mentioned that your copies were all scratched up, I knew it was perfect.”

“Lydia, this is the best gift ever. Seriously, thank you so much!” He squeezed her hand. “You’re the best.”

“Here’s your gift now,” he added. “Now you’ve made mine look 10 times more lame.”

“No way, Stiles. Just let me open it up at least.”

***

Her heart skipped a beat when he took out a rectangular box, wrapped in sparkly black wrapping paper and tied neatly with a purple bow. “I’m already impressed, look at those wrapping skills!” wondering how much it must have cost him, just to wrap this thing.

“Thanks,” he chuckled “It took me two days to wrap this thing.”

“Stiles…”

“It’s nothing. Seriously, just open it.”

Her heart stopped when she saw what was inside. She picked up a heavy silver photo frame with a picture of the winter formal. That seemed like another lifetime ago. It was such an awkward picture of the two of them, it was hilarious. On the back, was a note: “For Lydia: the girl of my dreams.”

“Stiles…”

“I got you this too,” he said, before she could say anything else, and handed her a thin blue box.  
She opened it and found a silver pendant necklace with the word “Hope” engraved. “I figured since everything we’ve been through, hope would be appropriate,” he said.

“Stiles, this is too much. It’s beautiful. The picture too. I love it… Here help me put this on.” He took the necklace from her hands and wrapped it around her neck. The feel of his fingers on her neck sent tingles through her whole body. His hands lingered on her back for a minute. As she turned around, she looked up into those dazzling brown eyes. Was this love? To look up into someone’s eyes and know you’re home? To have found the one person who would never leave you? It must be. Stiles was her soul mate. She knew it. They had been through hell and back but it was fate that they went through it together.

***

Stiles looked down into Lydia’s beautiful green eyes. She was so good. So kind and beautiful and the next thing he knew, she was looking back and she leaned in and she was kissing him. Their lips met and like two puzzle pieces, they became one. He didn’t know how long they stood there, their lips moving into each other. Stiles had waited the last 8 years for this moment but every single second he waited was worth it. He was in love with her. There was no longer any question.

 

***

 

Lydia didn’t know what took her to kiss Stiles but one second she was looking up into his eyes, her gaze wandering down to his perfect lips and in that moment, she could think of nothing but the warmth of his lips on hers. So she leaned up and kissed him.

It wasn’t like the kisses she was used to, hungry and lustful. This one was soft and gentle but filled with something they could only describe as love. Eventually, they broke free of each other.

“Whoa” Stiles panted, breaking the silence. “Um…”

Lydia giggled. She was not a giggler. This guy was seriously making her crazy. “Just come here, you dork,” she said.

Their lips met again, this time with more passion. As if their entire lives had led up to this one moment. As if there was nothing else but this one moment and too afraid to let the moment pass, they never wanted to let go.

***

 _What are those two doing up there_ , Scott thought to himself. It had been an hour since Lydia arrived and he had not heard from either of them. Eventually, he was so starved and ready for Christmas dinner (his mom and the sheriff were too engrossed in some conversation he couldn’t follow to even notice how late it was) that he decided to go up and see what they were up to.

He barged into Stiles’ room to find the two engaging in some pretty hot and heavy lip-locking.  
“Aghhhh!” he yelled. “I was coming up to get you guys to come down for dinner but never mind, I’m pretty sure I just lost my appetite”

Stiles and Lydia jumped apart.

“Um. Well that happened,” Lydia said nervously, stealing a glance at Stiles.

“Yup…” Stiles said, a huge blush growing on his cheeks.

“Well, once you guys are done with whatever this is, dinner’s ready. Not that I want to eat anything anymore after seeing that. I’m gonna go wash my eyes out with bleach.”

Scott was sufficiently grossed out but at the same time, he was glad his friend had finally won over Lydia. It only took 8 years but, there it was.

“Are Stiles and Lydia ready to eat?” his mom asked as Scott arrived downstairs.

“Yeah, I’m just gonna give them a few more minutes… They should be down here soon.”

***

Once Scott left the room, Lydia said “So… What does this mean now?”

And without thinking, Stiles blurted out “I love you. Since the first time I saw you in 3rd grade, your hair bouncing about, your sass and smarts, I’ve slowly fallen in love with you. And maybe love means nothing and maybe I’ll never know what it’s like to be loved by you but I know one thing, and that’s that I love you. It’s always been you, Lydia. It’ll always be you.”

“Stiles… stop,” She thought her heart was going to burst. “I love you too, okay? God, I love you so much, it hurts. Don’t ever doubt it. I know I’ve given you so many reasons to hate me. All I’ve done is ignore you all these years but you never left me. I don’t deserve even deserve someone like you. I can continue to live my life searching for people, but it’s always going to be you. I’m so sorry it took me this long to realize it. I just… I wasn’t ready until now.” Tears started streaming down her face, of happiness, of sadness, a mix of things that she knew could be summed up into one word: love. “I love you,” she whispered again.

“Lydia, shh. It’s okay, it’s okay,” he said as he wiped the tears from her cheeks and hugged her tightly.

“Don’t apologize for all these years, Lydia. I would wait 50 years for you.” He whispered into her damp hair.

“Thank you,” she said, as Stiles gave her one more light kiss. She would never get used to that.

“We should head down now, are you hungry?”

“I’m starved,” she answered, smiling up at him.

***

Melissa had outdone herself. There was a delicious turkey in the middle of the table. Mashed and roasted potato dishes. Colorful salads. Apple, cherry and mixed berry pies.

“How are we going to eat all this?” Lydia exclaimed. “It all looks so delicious. Thanks for having me,” she said, looking at the sheriff and Melissa.

“Well, let’s dig in!” Scott said, clearly having regained his appetite. Unsurprising considering his werewolf-iness and the large appetite that came along with it.

They were at the table for hours. Stiles took Lydia’s hand from under the table and held it tightly. He looked her way with a smile. They were meant to be. He truly believed that.

***

After hours of eating, Lydia was glad she was wearing Stiles’ baggy sweat pants, she would have exploded out of her clothes otherwise.

“Thank you for the great meal sheriff and Melissa, it was delicious.”

“Here, Lydia and I will do the dishes,” Stiles said, taking Lydia’s hand.

They headed to the kitchen and got to work. It wasn’t long before Stiles started throwing water at Lydia.

“Stiles! You are so asking for it!” She said as she sprayed water on Stiles hair.

Scott and the parents watched them from the living room and shook their heads, seeing them running around, chasing each other.

Stiles grabbed Lydia from behind and she squealed, “Stop! You’re too strong!”

To Melissa and the sheriff’s surprise, Stiles took her face in his hands and placed a passionate kiss on her.

They cleared their throats from the living room, “Um guys, we’re still here!”

“Yeah, I’m gonna need more bleach now,” added Scott.

Stiles and Lydia blushed, “Sorry,” said Stiles.

Once they cleaned up the mess, Lydia turned to the Sheriff and Melissa, thanking them for the meal and their hospitality.

“Oh Lydia, it’s still nasty out there. It’ll be too dangerous with all the wind and branches falling down. Stay here, I insist!”

“Thanks so much Sheriff,” she answered, while her insides were dancing a conga.

“Come on up,” Stiles said, as he took her hand and led her up the stairs. Stiles was glad his dad trusted him enough now to have girls over. Although, he was pretty sure it was just Lydia and her charm that won him over. He doubted this would have ever been possible with Malia, or any other others, had there actually been any others in the first place.

Lydia fell down on the bed. “I’m exhausted. I’m about to fall into a food coma any second now.”

Stiles lay down next to her, propped up on one elbow, gazing into her eyes.

“What are you looking at?” she said, nudging him gently.

“Your eyes… I could just stare at them forever. You’re beautiful.”

She got up and kissed his nose. “You’re not so bad yourself,” she giggled.

“We should go to sleep now,” she suggested.

“Sure,” he said.

“Okay” she said with another giggle. What was with the giggling? She seriously needed to get a grip.

“Fine.” he retorted “Just come here,” he said finally, mimicking something she had said earlier in the evening. He leaned down, their lips meeting again. For a while longer, they just kissed. Stiles’ hands holding her waist, his lips grazing her neck and collarbone.

***

Lydia’s heart was jumping all over the place. Who knew this awkward boy would turn out to be so damn fine. She melted under the touch of his lips on her. This kind of relationship, it was so new to her. It wasn’t about jumping into each other’s pants or making out all the time, it was about finding that one person would completed you. And that was Stiles.

Finally, they broke free, panting slightly. “Let’s go to sleep now,” she whispered. But she only meant it in the strictest sense of the term. She wasn’t ready to go that far with Stiles yet. She just wanted to be held by him.

“You take the bed, I can sleep on the floor,” he said.

“Stiles, don’t be ridiculous, get in here. I am not letting you sleep on the floor”

She crawled into his bed, removing the sweats. The t-shirt would be enough for tonight. She could see him gulp at the sight.

He turned to his closet, grabbing an old t-shirt and shorts to change into. Lydia watched him change. He had his back to her but she could see how the muscles had become to form across his back and arms. I guess that’s what happens when you spend a year running for your life, she thought. He turned around, caught her eye and joined her in the bed.

For an eternal moment, they lay on their sides, just looking into each other. Stiles leaned in and snuck a quick kiss on her perfect lips. She moved over into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. She had never simply just cuddled with anyone. It was nice. It was different. She smiled and fell into a blissful sleep, after whispering into Stiles, “I love you so much Stiles Stilinski…”

“I love you too Lydia Martin, I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” he whispered back, his voice getting quiet as he fell asleep.


End file.
